Sometimes the internet fills a void that can't be filled in real life. We get to know each other from the inside out instead of the other way around as in real life. If people have hurt you in the past the internet, I have found, is an alternative to some of the bad things that happen to people in real life. You are safer at home. Older folks tend to be targets out there for crimes and many other things such as bad weather, car problems, falls etc.

Just throwing in my 2 cents.